Siglufjörður: an idyllically quiet fishing village in Northern Iceland, where no one locks their doors – accessible only via a small mountain tunnel. Ari Thór Arason: a rookie policeman on his first posting, far from his girlfriend in Reykjavik – with a past that he’s unable to leave behind.

Book Review:

Beautifully written, SNOWBLIND comes with great characters; a wonderful sense of place; a cleverly constructed plot; and that introspective, claustrophobic feeling that often appeals to fans of Icelandic and Scandinavian crime fiction. Coupled with a lyrical translation by Quentin Bates there was not an off-key note from start to finish.

The first in the Dark Iceland series sees Ari Thór Arason take up his first job as a policeman far from his previous life, and girlfriend based in Reykjavik. There’s a number of changes explored in this move - Arason’s willingness to go for a start, leaving his girlfriend and the life they were building, and the consequences of that decision. The move to such a small, isolated, insular type of community is also a big change for a boy from the city. Getting used to the dynamics and personalities of this small place give the author a chance to really move his character outside his comfort zone. Then there is the cut-off, isolated location itself. Literally cut-off by the weather, another challenge for Arason comes from that idea of being trapped.

Surrounding a man struggling with so much change with a plot that’s a particularly elegant version of the locked room scenario works well. The cast of character are framed within this small society, locked off due to weather, and therefore outside of everybody’s control. The violent assault and suspicious death that occur must have been perpetrated by an insider creating a sense of vulnerability and suspicion. Often this idea of the entire list of possible perpetrators pushed right into the spotlight from the start can wobble a little. Obvious red herrings, or under concentration on one person can make them stand out as if there was a lighted, pointed arrow hanging over their heads. Not so in SNOWBLIND. In a series of clever little tricks the reader, who by this stage is likely to be as committed to solving the mystery as Arason, could easily be as confused as he is. None of these tricks, however, are overt, until reflection back at the end of the novel.

The setting of cold, dark and overbearing climate might be a cliché of this sub-genre but here it is perfectly done. The use of the weather as the reason for the isolation, means it already has a focus and is part of the story. To involve it more, as a factor that affects everyone’s thinking and actions as well works. As does the blend of eccentric and normal, long term residents and newer arrivals, people who have adjusted to the place and those that are still struggling. The really personal elements, the romance, the longing and the resignation of loss worked well, pitched perfectly within the protagonist’s searching for meaning and explanation for life.

Even allowing for a personal liking for these dark, thoughtful and retrospective style of books, there was much to be admired in SNOWBLIND. Those aspects that are typical of the sub-genre are really well executed, those that are a little outside the norm were elegantly delivered. The second in the series, NIGHTBLIND is due out on December 1st. That should be in around 11 days, 4 hours, 20 or so minutes, give or take a few minutes.

Claymore Straker is trying to forget a violent past. Working as an oil company engineer in the wilds of Yemen, he is hijacked at gunpoint by Islamic terrorists. Clay has a choice: help uncover the cause of a mysterious sickness afflicting the village of Al Urush, close to the company’s oil-processing facility, or watch Abdulkader, his driver and close friend, die.

Book Review:

Set in Yemen, THE ABRUPT PHYSICS OF DYING is an eco-thriller from an author who writes about the issues explored with authority and a vivid sense of place.

Claymore Straker is a South-African born engineer, working on environmental approval reports for a major oil company in Yemen, a country teetering on the brink of civil war. Held up, with his local Muslim driver, at gunpoint by a local armed militia group, Straker is forced to investigate the potential of environmental contamination in a village close to oil fields. Children are dying, mothers are miscarrying, and the locals are convinced it's something to do with Petro-Tex, who are equally keen to cover up any potential involvement. Which puts Straker in a very difficult position as he feels very responsible for his friend and driver, held hostage until he checks the locals claims, and yet he earns his living from Petro-Tex work, who aren't pleased at his digging.

Given that THE ABRUPT PHYSICS OF DYING is a thriller there is much here that we take for granted. Straker's borderline super-human, able to withstand major beatings, threats, being jerked around, and having to deal with idiots. There's a beautiful love / sex interest - in this case the enigmatic French journalist who may / may not be on the side of Straker and good. There's the requisite huge multinational company with the self-serving employees and a desire to make money and increase their own power, regardless of any impact they may have. There's also a local terrorist / extremist group who, in this case, have come about as a result of the injustice done to them and their country. And as you'd expect, there are a lot of guns, much yelling, threat and danger everywhere and lot of rushing around the desert.

It's a refreshing change, however, to find considerable black and white in the motivations and behaviour of the so called extremists. Their land plundered, their people dying, this novel conveys the fine line between defender and antagonist. Their methodologies might seem barbaric, but in the event that you're left with few choices in the face of overwhelming power and wealth, there's lots of instances where one person's freedom fighter is another person's extremist.

It's a measure of the wonderfully descriptive style of writing that THE ABRUPT PHYSICS OF DYING works as well as it does. The sense of place, and the way that the climate, the landscape and the people all combine within a location very foreign to that which many of us live in is evocative. Having said that, particularly in the middle of the novel, some culling of the repetition in those descriptive passages, and of the science explanations, wouldn't go astray as it does bog things down a little.

Work through those sections though and you're left with an interesting double act. A thriller which entertains, leaving much for you to think about after you've put the book down.

Claymore Straker is trying to forget a violent past. Working as an oil company engineer in the wilds of Yemen, he is hijacked at gunpoint by Islamic terrorists. Clay has a choice: help uncover the cause of a mysterious sickness afflicting the village of Al Urush, close to the company’s oil-processing facility, or watch Abdulkader, his driver and close friend, die.